Written in 882, the poem of Mikail Bashtu reached
us in a form that during its millennium-long life had little chance to survive
intact. Its original language had been changed, we know only a Russian
line-by-line translation; its original contents went through generations of
narrators and storytellers, and religious and political editing. The poem reached
us in a handwritten copy in Russian language, made in Kyzyl Yar in the northern
Kazakhstan by Ibrahim Mohamed-Karim Nigmatulin (188? -1941), possibly prompted
by the global state campaign of confiscation all written materials in “alien” languages. The poem was first published in Turkey
in Turkish in 1991, in 1992 the poem was published in Kyiv in Ukrainian, and in 1997 the poem was
published in Sofia in Bolgarian and Russian. For negative opinions and
dismissals an inquiring reader can search the Web, there are quite a few
morsels, some
of them quite entertaining. In its motherland, the Tatarstan in Russia, the
poem had not yet been published, and still goes around as samizdat
clandestine print. Yet. Officially, the poem does not exist or, when
cornered, is brushed aside as a falsification not to be honored by
acknowledging, and definitely not deserving a printed and bound
form. For comparison, the pearls like the"
Protocols
of the Elders of Zion" and "Veles
Book" were published and republished in Russia in zillions dozens of times. Such a poignant stand may be a best monument
to the timeless creation of the great author. The irony is that a reader of this
page from, say, New Zeeland, has a chance not given to the native population
by its “mother country”.

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Sindj, a merchant, native of India. Sindj was one of the first
in the Khurasan (NE part of Persia) to accept Islam from the Arabs,

his son was Abdallah, a mullah in the Northern Dagestan

Abdallah started a translation of all official documents of the
kingdom from the old Bulgarian alphabet "kunig" (aka "Runic" script) to the
Arabic script.

His son was Shams, a mullah in the Kara Bulgar, i.e. in the Western Bulgaria

Abdallah and Shams made a big
contribution to the spread of Islam among the western Bulgars, and they were
renown theologians.

His son was Mikail Ibn Shams (ca 820 - 900),
from Bashtu (modern Kyiv) and a Tebir (secretary), hence his name Mikail Bashtu
Ibn Shams Tebir

His son was Abdallah, a mullah, theologian, historian. He was the author of the
book "Khazar History" and a well-known poem "Kisekbash
kitaby". Mullah Abdallah went a few times to the city of Bagdad,
trying to convince the Caliph to recognize the Itil Bulgaria as a Muslim state.
In the 921 he managed to attain that a Great embassy of the Caliph was sent to
the Itil Bulgaria, with which he returned to the Bulgaria in the 922.

Mikail Bashtu was a mullah, theologian, chichan (poet) and historian. Mikail Bashtu earned respect and
long remembrance of the Bulgars for his life-long service.

819 AD (203 A.H.) The father of Mikail Bashtu, mullah Shams, who later adopted
the name Bashtu and is known in the
Moslem world as Shams Tebir or Shams Bashtu, for the first time converted to Islam a ruler of the
Kara Bulgarian state, Kan Urus Ugyr Aydar (819-855),.

835 (220 A.H.) Mikail Bashtu is as a secretary in the office of Kara Bulgarian Kan Urus Ugyr Aydar
(819-855), he completed a translation, started by his grandfather Abdallah,
of all official documents of the kingdom from the old Bulgarian alphabet "kunig" to the Arabic script.

835 (220 A.H.) Michail Bashtu is a mullah in the city of Kyiv

835 (220 A.H.) From the hands of mullah Michail Bashtu a most numerous and
powerful Sabanian clan Baryn in the Dniepr basin accepted Islam.

835 (220 A.H.) Michael Bashtu examined texts written in "samra", the original
"runic" type script that became a basis for Türkic alphabet and
picked out the ancient words that could be used by mullahs in speeches and notes.
A century later, Ahmed ibn Fadlan (aka Bakir) left that decision to stand, but forbade the Moslems to use "samra".

840 (225 A.H.) Mikail Bashtu managed a first census of the Kara Bulgar population. It turned out that in the Internal
Kara Bulgar lived 500 thousand people, of them 50 thousand were Bulgars. In the Balyn (Northeast Rus,
Volynia),
which was a tribute dependency of the Kara Bulgar, lived 600 thousand
people. In the External Kara Bulgar and in the Princedom Bulgar of the Kara Bulgar lived 173 thousand taxpayers. The tax
rate in the Kara Bulgar was a cost of one marten pelt per year from a household.

855 (240 A.H.) Gabdulla Djilki was raised to the Bulgarian throne after the Aydar's death,
supported mainly by the Muslim nobles. That displeased the Tengrian part of the Bulgarian
nobles, who during Aydar's reign conceded a significant part of their power to the Bulgarian Muslim nobles. The younger brother
of Djilka, Lachyn (Rürik for Anchians), headed dissatisfied Tengrians and
started a revolt against Gabdulla. The Aydar's faithful ally Byzantium, and Khazaria supported the Tengrian Lachyn in
a civil war. In the beginning Gabdulla was victorious over Lachyn and his
Khazarian allies.

860 (245 A.H.) Bulgarian fleet consisting of the Anchians' ships under command of the head of the Anchians
Djir and Scandinavian Varyag () mercenaries under Askold ravaged the palisades of the Byzantium capital.

864 (249 A.H.) Lachyn with his allies suddenly attacked Gabdulla
Djilki in his summer residence (batavyl) Khorysdan (nowadays - Putivl). Djilki
retreats to the Bulgarian capital Bashtu, but the Kyivans, led by Askold, tied up Djir, and announced
to Djilki: 'We shall not let you into the capital, Kan, until you resolve in
the field your dispute with your brother Lachyn about the ascendancy'. Gabdulla Djilki beat off the attack by Lachyn,
and expelled Askold from Bashtu.

865 (250 A.H.) Aggravated by the betrayal of the Kyivans, Djilki moved the capital of the Bulgarian state from
Kyiv to Bulgar, and moved there a part of the Moslem Kara Bulgars. The Ukraine was split into two allodial (autonomous)
Beyliks: a Kyiv Beylik (the right-bank part of the Ukraine) and a Kara-Bulgarian (the left-bank part of
the Ukraine). Anchian Bek Djir was appointed the head of the Kyiv Beylik, and a
senior son of Gabdulla Bek Almysh Djafar was appointed the
head of the Kara-Bulgarian Beylik.

865 (250 A.H.) Michail Bashtu is a mullah in the city of Bulgar

865-882 (250 A.H.-268 A.H.) Mikail Bashtu wrote the poem "Shang kyzy dastany" (Poem of
the Shan daughter). Mikail Bashtu reworked the Ancient Bulgarian myths and
legends, including the songs of Kuban, composed in the legend "Shan Talgau"
written by his famous predecessor, Attila's pra-pra-grandson Boyan-Chelbir
Sandugach (Gr. Sindilh probably from Shan Talgau, Slav. Solovey, ruled 535-590; for etymology of Sogd. word see
A.Dybo 2007 “Lingivistical
Contacts Of Early Turks” ). In the Mikail Bashtu's poem the contents of the old Bulgar dastan about the
feats of three co-fraterns-bogatyrs (elbirs) were fused with new themes. The poem was learned
by heart by many, and it became a part of the national wedding ritual.

865-900 (250 A.H.-286 A.H.) After relocating with Kan Djilki to the Middle Itil
region, mullah Bashtu was actively spreading Islam in the Itil Bulgaria, and he organized
elementary schools at the mosques, called mektebe. 42 mektebes were opened in
the 865-882, during rule of Kan Djilki, due to the mullah Bashtu's labors. In
the period from 882 to 900 were opened another 180 mektebes. In all, in 35 years
Mikail Bashtu established 222 mektebes. The children were taught to read and
write, read hadises, the religious books, and learnt by hart some ayats, small fragments from Koran..

865-900 (250 A.H.) Mikail Bashtu organized a prospecting for the deposits of iron, gold,
silver, copper, coal and jewels in the Ural mountains.

865-900 (250 A.H.-286 A.H.) Mikail Bashtu was instrumental in inducing, as
their Vizier, the Kans Djilki and Almysh to patronize the trade, by persuading them that their
kingdom "will be as strong, as strong would be the trade". On the advice
of Mikail Bashtu they subordinated the northern peoples and equipped and secured the trading roads
which were criss-crossing Bulgaria.

895 (281 A.H.) Almysh was raised to the Bulgarian throne after the Djilki's death
and became a Kan of Itil Bulgaria

900 (286 A.H.) Mikail Bashtu died during a trip to the Urals, in a night
storm on the Kama near the city Yar Chally, the present Naberejnye Chelny, when
the vessel where Mikail was spending a night capsized, and he drowned. Mikail
Bashtu left a famous son, Abdallah ibn Bashtu, who was a mullah, theologian, historian,
the author of the book "Khazar History", sited by the Moslem writers.
A few times Mullah Abdallah went to Bagdad, to convince the Caliph to
recognize Itil Bulgaria as a Muslim state. In the 921 he succeeded to
have a Great embassy of the Caliph sent to the Itil Bulgaria, and Bulgaria
recognized as a Muslim state. Abdallah ibn Bashtu was a head of the Moslems in the
Itil Bulgaria, and a Vizier of Kan Almysh.

Aydar = Urus Ugyr Aydar
Dulo
(819-866), present Russian form of the name is "Gaydar/Gaidar"
>>

Boyan = aka Boyan-Imen, an ancestral storyteller and singer and lover
of music from tribe Imen, appearing in the Slavic folklore as a
proper name for a legendary and prophetic teller-singer. The Slavic
folkloric Boyan, as well as boyan/bayan musical instrument may well
refer to a specific, with time becoming a legendary, person of Kan
Boyan-Chelbir or Sandugach, Shan Talgau, Sindilh, Utrik
Dulo
(535-590), a pra-pra-grandson of Attila. He entered the Bulgarian
history as the great poet, musician and music player, assembled
ancient Bulgarian myths and legends into a legend "Shan Talgau"
("Tale about Shan"), from which Michael Bashtu in the 882 created his
epic poem "Shan kyzy dastany". People also called Boyan-Chelbir
"Sandugach" ("Nightingale") and "Shan Talgau" ("Sandilh" in Greek).
As a head of the state, Boyan-Chelbir doubled as a prime cleric, and
was leading the people in prayers to Tangra. The Sandugach, a
favorite encampment capital of Boyan-Chelbir on the river Kuban,
existed until destroyed in the 640 by the Arab invaders.
>>

Duloba = "Dulo" - the name of the
dynasty
to which belonged, among many others, Attila and Kurbat/Kubrat +
"oba" - country, place to live, encampment, etc., akin to IE's root
in "habitat", "obituary" etc. Duloba is the "Duleba" of the Rus'
annals, country of Dulo dynasty

Gazan = Gazan
Dulo ca. 320-343. Gazan may be a dialectal pronunciation of the
generic name for the legendary Kushan primogenitor (Kushan => Gazan)
leader who established a Hunnish state in the Itil-Kama interfluvial
>>??

Mal = "mal"- cattle, a protector of shepherds, equivalent of St.
Drogo in the Catholic hierarchy, later known from annalistic sources
as a name of a tribal leader of "Drevlyane", a Slavic rendering with
a meaning of "Forest People" of Agathirs, i.e. the "Forest People",
in the same Volyn geographical area in the early Middle Age times

Shambat = son of Danube Bulgarian Beylik ( Princedom) Kan (Khan)
Alburi Aspar Askal
Dulo
(593-602), his name was mentioned by Constantine Porphyrogenitus in
the De Administrando Imperio as "city of Kyiv, also called
Sambatas", junior brother of Khan Kurbat and uncle of Khan Asparukh

A small glossary of the patently Türkic words that were not translated into
Russian but are used as Türkic loanwords. Some of the words have Slavic or
Indo-European synonyms, the others are direct borrowings without synonyms. Also included in this
glossary are the references for the dynastic personalities and geographical
locations.

Kaf = known to us as a first
syllable of the name Caucas(us),
"kau/kath/kaf" - white + "kas/kaz" - rock, bluff, in the context likely
referring to Caucasus range, the nearest and most familiar geographical landmark
in the Scythian Eastern Europe

kazaks = Cossacks, initial meaning was for a warrior battling
without amour out of neglect to the death and displaying a superior bravery,
and also the one who gave a vow to not marry until he had performed some
military feats

Khakan = dialectal pronunciation of the title "Kagan"
recorded
for the Khazars

sapog = boot, the most widespread IE borrowing from the Türkic language,
represented in the IE languages in the forms of "zapata (Sp.), bota (Sp.),
choboty (Slav.), sapog (Slav.), cipõtisztító (Hung.), saapas (Fin.), boot
(Eng.), bote (Port.), botte (Fr.) and so on. In the IE Etymologic Dictionary it
is "of unknown origin", but originally "for riding boots only"... It just happened that
Scythians and Huns were riders.